Zanobard Reviews

Toma Otowa’s Ghost Of Yōtei exquisitely blends gorgeously serene Japanese instrumentation and dramatic Wild West string twangs for the game’s intriguing setting of Ezo, with the vengeful main theme for Atsu then taking this style and dramatically running with it as it goes thematically head-to-head against the villainous Yōtei Six.

Feudal Japan meets the Wild West. Now if ever I’ve heard an absolutely intriguing premise for a soundtrack style, it’s that. In a recent Rolling Stone article regarding Ghost Of Yōtei‘s music, composer Toma Otowa and audio director Brad Meyer discuss the game’s setting of Ezo (16th century Hokkaido) and how, as it was right on the edge of Japan at the time, it became a “Wild West frontier” of sorts, and that intriguing time and place naturally became the focal point of the score. As such, I was doubly sold on Ghost Of Yōtei; firstly as the first game’s – Ghost Of Tsushima – music is absolutely sublime, and secondly because of the aforementioned intriguing premise idea; what does a Japanese and Wild West swordfighting soundtrack sound like? Luckily, we don’t have to wait long to find out, as opening track and main theme “Ghost Of Yōtei” kicks off this intriguing stylistic combination in absolute spades; it introduces the aforementioned motif – titled Atsu’s theme, for the game’s revenge-seeking protagonist – on gentle woodwinds to start, before some dramatically Western-inspired percussion kicks off and the music simply starts to go. A rousing brassy orchestra with Japanese and Western elements then builds and thunders gallantly behind the new motif – which is an earworm right off the bat – all the way up to an epic finishing crescendo, and overall, to say I was wowed by both theme and style is an understatement indeed. What an opening!

With the catchy main theme fading dramatically away, another motif is then introduced with second track “The Yōtei Six”; this time a much darker, more intense piece for the titular antagonists of the game, who murdered the family of main character Atsu when she was a child. The track starts with moody string twangs and whistles, evoking the album’s Western side once again while also introducing a similarly memorable motif to that of the main one for the titular Six, before (much like that track) the music then builds in volume and intensity with thunderous orchestral elements rising until the intensely in-your-face villain theme crashes tensely to a close. “Atsu’s Theme” straight after then offers a quieter, more gentle perspective on the main theme with serene string plucks and the frankly sublime vocal assistance of Clare Uchima, before “The Wilds Of Ezo” leans into wistful atmosphere in its first half with Western-hinting guitars and Japanese-esque woodwinds until a much more lively orchestra kicks up a more upbeat pace in the second. Gently ethereal string plucks are then centre stage in “Oyuki’s Theme”, with wistful woodwinds cementing this much more Japanese-inspired tone until rising orchestral elements build to crescendo in the final minute of the cue. “The Way Of The Shamisen” then reprises the main theme on some very Western-sounding instrumentation with an upbeat pace held throughout.

A gently serene atmosphere settles for the peaceful “Wanderer”, with whistling woodwinds and plinking percussion floating calmly alongside tranquil strings for what is a rather beautifully ambient setpiece overall. A rather tense woodwind instrument then opens “Clan Matsumae”, with low-pitched brass and moody vocals continuing this rather sombre tone until “The North” returns to the wondrous Japanese-esque atmosphere of earlier cues with whistling woodwinds and relaxing strings. “Mother’s Song” then continues in a similar stylistic vein but with the addition of some rather serene and indeed lovely vocal work courtesy of Clare Uchima. Quiet serenity is then the focus of “Twin Wolves”, adding to the wondrous Japanese-sounding ambience of earlier cues before the subsequent “Onryō” brings the orchestral wonder to a sudden close; the title of the track refers to a spirit of vengeance in Japanese folklore that main character Atsu adopts the mindset of in the game, and the music reflects this with a simmering, brooding combination of downtrodden strings, woodwinds and tense drums. Wary high-pitched strings are then central at the start of “Upon The Wind”, with pensive woodwinds joining the fray shortly after for a decidedly sombre setpiece overall.

Thunderous action kicks off the two minute “The Nine Tails”, with frenetic strings and powerful brass leading an intense charge against an imposing percussive backdrop. A rather anxious rendition of the main theme then plays on high-pitched woodwinds at the start of “Night Of The Burning Tree”, with the pitch alternating and switching for the remainder of the cue to hammer home a dramatic sense of sheer dread. Hints back toward the eerie sound of “Onryō” then reprise in the rapidly paced “Wrath Of The Ghost” with loud percussion, brass and strings abound before “Okami” slows the momentum back down with much quieter – though still pensive – Japanese-esque woodwinds and strings. Intense vocal and percussion-heavy atmosphere then reaches a deafening crescendo in the three minute “Ishikari Plain”, with “Oshima Coast” straight after simmering moodily with downtrodden woodwinds, imposing vocals and Western-esque string twangs. With the album nearing its end, “The Call Of Revenge” brings back the Yōtei Six theme for a very Western-inspired, pistol duel-sounding setpiece with string twangs and dramatic vocals abound. “Shogun Of The North” then brings the main and villain themes together for a climactic orchestral battle, with the aforementioned Yōtei Six motif malevolently starting things off before the main theme reprises for a grandly victorious crescendo. “Atsu’s Theme” then rousingly closes the score with one last reprisal of the main theme.

Overall, Toma Otowa’s score for Ghost Of Yōtei is a spellbinding experience; its absolutely magnificent stylistic pairing of Japanese and Western-esque instrumentation – to represent the game’s intriguing locational premise of Ezo, “Feudal Japan meets the Wild West” – is utilised to great effect whether its for gorgeous ambience or thunderous action, with tracks like the pistol duel-styled “The Call Of Revenge” and the atmospheric “The Wilds Of Ezo” being excellent showcases of this. Leading the orchestral charge thematically is then the vengeful Atsu’s theme, a grandly determined and indeed memorable piece that first appears in Standout Cue “Ghost Of Yōtei” with the aforementioned Japanese/Wild West stylistic combination roaring heroically alongside, and bold subsequent appearances like the victorious back half of “Shogun of The North” and the upbeat “The Way Of The Shamisen” are similarly stellar. Counterpointing the main theme is then the dramatically malevolent “The Yōtei Six”, a villain piece that makes excellent use of Wild West-sounding guitars and intense woodwinds, with the dramatic head-to-head that the two motifs come to in “Shogun Of The North” showcasing just how well-crafted they both are.

All-in the ambience of dramatic string twangs and ethereal whistling woodwinds really makes Yōtei, with that main theme being the absolute icing on the cake. A fantastic job, Mr. Otowa.

Score: 8/10

Standout Cues: Ghost Of Yōtei, The Yōtei Six, Shogun Of The North

Follow me on Twitter for the latest soundtrack and review-based news!